Your Smallest Salesman

Your email signature file is a small but very effective way to promote your business. However many business people do not fully understand this powerful little tactic. Your signature file is a very effective little salesman when done right.

What is an email signature file? This is a short message about you and your business, which will include your URL.

What should you include in your signature file?
Business name
Your email address.
Your Web Address.
Your business Unique Selling Proposition-what your business is and its purpose
A way to contact you
Ways to Read More-more articles subscribe to your newsletter etc.

How do we use it? You can use it with:

Email: at the bottom of every mailing including your email
Posts at forums and discussion groups: you cannot advertise here but always leave your little signature file at the bottom of every post you make.
Expand it into a bio at the bottom of your articles

You can use several different signature files that lead to different websites and bring out different aspects of your business. For example:

You can make one for your newsletter with your subscription URL
An affiliate program with your affiliate URL (it is good to disguise this with something like tiny URL
Your service or product with your website URL
A special 1-2 for posting at forums and discussion groups

Keep a library of signature files that will be ready for any mailing and posting. Have one for every aspect of your business and use them appropriately.

Making the best impact with your signature file:

Combine with a PS at the end of your email to draw attention to your signature file
Combine with a meaningful or humorous quote to help people remember you and your signature file.
Keep it concise meaningful and entice readers to click through to your website newsletter or affiliate programs.

Mistakes to avoid:

Do not ramble your signature file should only be about 2-4 lines. Keep it concise and meaningful
No sales hype- this is not an ad
Do not list tons of URLs just keep it to one or two at the most- too many will confuse your reader
Keep it simple with no fancy graphics or formatting so that it will look good in test as well as HTML mail
Always remember the correct punctuation with your signature file so that it looks professional and makes a good impression.
Make sure you check that there are no errors in your signature file. Errors will show lack of professionalism.

Email signature files are your smallest salesmen. Do not forget to send them out everywhere and anywhere. Put the right message with each for maximum efficiency. This is a free form of promotion and remarkably powerful. Always be aware that some of the biggest impacts can come from unlikely sources. Do not overlook this little salesman with the powerful message.

August 1, 2006 – 5:36 pm by Constantin Chersin